A SURE TEST OF ANY theology is to ask, “Does God exist before human beings?” Among other things, the answer can shed light on one’s grasp of science. For if you allow for a God who watched over the dinosaurs,…
Category: Torah
The Text(s), the tribe, the learning, the being. (With a bit of random spirituality mixed in.)
Reflecting Pool
“WHEN THE CENTER IS MOVING, no quiet is. When the center is still, no chaos. Where is the chaos when there is no center? Where is the center when there is no motion?”
Happy 5772!
THIS PHOTO FEATURES PEOPLE SPELLING out in Hebrew the words “Shanah Tovah,” or “good year.” I like it because it shows us that the year is ultimately made up of the people who live it — of every moment and…
Aside
“GOD” IS NOT A FAN club.
Aside
“GOD” IS THE EXPERIENCE OF “experiencing God.”
The Aim Of All TRUE Religion
PROLONGING THE GOD EXPERIENCE INTO every waking moment. (All else — songs, prayers, chants, acts, texts, charity, incense, beads, building fund — is just stage direction. Which is not to dismiss the stage direction, since that’s one of the keys…
The Best Quote Ever About Torah (And Stories In General)
“What does that song mean?” I asked Ernie once about a particular song. He thought for a bit and then replied that if I wanted to know what the words meant, he’d be glad to translate them for me. But…
Pithyism #10,000
A MODERN SENSIBILITY IS THE greatest impediment to understanding ancient traditions. (And sometimes vice-versa.)
An Erev Shabbat Invitation
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO attend tonight’s Erev Shabbat service at Sonoma’s Congregation Shir Shalom, 252 W. Spain St., which service I am both grateful and privileged to lead. Services begin at 7:30 p.m. PDT and will be followed by…
Aside
O G?D, DEAREST AND WISEST One, Maker of mercies and miracles, Describer in line and form, please: Save us from those sincere souls who know what You really meant.
Echo (Pithyism #18)
YOU REALLY FEEL LIKE A Jewish Teacher when a former student says “This needed to be here” and gives you a rock he picked up at Masada. (Thanks, Nick. May you also be blessed to know the difference you make.)…
“Self-Deleting Jews”
(Feel free to skip if you’re not hot for ethnoapologetics.) THERE’S AN UGLY MEME IN the Jewish community that may or may not have analogs among other minority groups: the so-called “self-hating Jew.” This term, most often used in online…